STOMACH CANCER: A SILENT KILLER – MOST COMMON SYMPTOMS -DON’T IGNORE

Although stomach cancer is about one-fourth as common as it was 70 years ago, 24,000 new cases are diagnosed annually in the United States. If caught early, the five-year survival rate is 90 percent. But, unfortunately, symptoms rarely occur until the disease spreads throughout the stomach and to other organs. At this advanced stage, the cancer is no longer treatable, and the five-year survival rate is only three percent.

And, here comes the million-dollar question – how can you stop this stealthy, silent killer before it strikes you? Well, we can help you with that problem – you should arm yourself with knowledge by learning the risk factors and the warning signs of stomach cancer. Stomach cancer can be hard to detect because when the symptoms finally do occur, they are often so mild that the person ignores them. According to the American Cancer Society, the following symptoms could indicate stomach cancer: 

1. Indigestion or heartburndiscomfort or pain in the abdomennausea and vomitingdiarrhea or constipationbloating of the stomach after mealsloss of appetiteweakness and fatiguebleeding (vomiting blood or having blood in the stool).

2. Age (over 55)gender (males are two-thirds more likely than women)diet high in foods that are smoked, dried, salted, or pickledsmoking and alcohol abuseprevious stomach surgeryfamily historypresence in stomach of bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, which may cause ulcers

Please note that you should be very careful and if you suffer from the warning signs of stomach cancer or are worried about your risk, talk to your doctor. He or she may refer you to a gastroenterologist (a physician who specializes in digestive disorders) for further evaluation.